The Prodigal Son
by DarkStryfe
Summary: A bandit's world comes crashing down after he encounters a party of adventurers led by a Bhaalspawn from Candlekeep.
1. The Life We Once Knew

**Author's Note**: This is my very first fan fiction. The story takes place during "Shadows of Amn". I have changed some story elements from the game to fit my vision, but not too drastically. I have only just started writing stories, so please keep that in mind when reviewing. All feedback, good or bad, is appreciated, though.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any intellectual property from the Baldur's Gate series. I do own Thayan and Irlina, however. Any resemblance of these two characters to any other author's work is purely coincidental.

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**********

From his position in the wood line Thayan got his first good look at the prey: a small party of five adventurers – two men and three women. The bandits had been discreetly tracking these adventurers all day through the forest. They had eventually settled down in a small clearing a short walk from the trail to make camp for the night.

One of the bandit scouts had spotted the adventurers entering the forest several days ago. The bandit leader, Antonio, had decided to pursue them. Unfortunately, the adventurers almost certainly had a druid or a ranger among them, for their progress through the woods was too swift, and they managed to reach the swamp before a proper ambush could be organized.

What business they had in the swamps only the gods knew, but Thayan had a pretty good guess. There had been reports of unusually aggressive animal activity around Trademeet lately. Some of the more outlandish reports claimed that animals were even attacking the town itself. It was pretty farfetched, but if the local druid grove in the swamp had anything to do with the local animals' behavior, then it seemed logical to assume that somebody would investigate eventually.

Antonio had wisely abandoned the pursuit and had decided to ambush them when they exited the swamp. Thayan was thankful for that decision. Swamps were tricky enough to navigate, let alone fight in. And that _smell_. The last time he had ventured into that swamp, the stench of decaying plant matter had lingered in his nostrils for weeks afterwards.

Thayan noted that six adventurers had entered the swamp but only five had returned. Had they seen combat? Did one of them fall? Thayan didn't really care. There were fifteen bandits arrayed in ambush positions outside the camp against five defenders. One less opponent would make their jobs that much easier.

As Thayan observed them, one of the adventurers caught his attention immediately - a giant of a man with runic symbols tattooed over half of his bald head. He was dressed in leather armor and was within arm's reach of a dangerous looking great sword. He was paying a great deal of attention to something in his hand, but Thayan couldn't tell what the man was holding at this distance. Whatever it was, it was extremely valuable, judging from the man's expression.

The second man was smaller in stature, but not by much. He had a well-groomed appearance, a neatly trimmed beard, and short, dark brown hair. His tanned, olive skin betrayed his Amnish heritage. A longsword hung at his hip, and he wore a set of expensive plate armor and was currently in the process of cleaning a medium shield, which bore an unrecognized family crest. A noble, Thayan realized, maybe even a knight. If he could be captured, his ransom alone could make this venture well worth the delay in ambushing this group.

Of the three women, the first to catch Thayan's eye was the tall one with short brown hair. Her confident air and the way the others deferred to her marked her as their leader. She wielded a longbow and a short sword of unremarkable designs. Her chainmail armor, however, glowed softly in the pale early evening light, a clear indication of magical enchantment. Thayan probably would have considered her to be somewhat attractive if she was wearing something more feminine and had a less muscular frame. Her sharp facial features were not his preference, however.

The second woman had long, wavy, sand-colored hair and was strikingly beautiful. She was clearly a half-elf; her face had the rounder features of her human parentage while her slightly pointed ears betrayed her elven heritage. Her quarterstaff lay nearby as she worked over a cooking fire. She seemed very much at home in the woods, Thayan noted. He thought he could even hear her humming, but it was too faint to be sure. If one of her comrades had indeed met their end in that swamp, she was taking it rather well, he thought dryly.

The last woman was his target. She was a human of regal bearing and amber, shoulder-length hair. The mage robes she wore made her stand out, as they all tended to do. Everyone knew that in any fight, the mages were the primary threats, so it made little sense for mages to draw attention to themselves. Thayan knew from his own experiences, however, that mages tended to be extremely arrogant and probably _wanted_ to be seen as the greatest threat to feed their own egos. _Might as well paint a bright red bull's-eye on your back_, he thought.

In contrast to the half-elf, the mage seemed none too pleased to be here. Thayan could see her muttering as she laid out her bedroll. The way she fumbled with it, coupled with her current demeanor, told him that she was probably unused to life outdoors. He could well imagine her complaining to herself about needing a bath or the biting insects that ruled the nights.

Too bad, he thought as he watched her and waited for the signal to attack. She wasn't half bad looking; what a shame she would very likely be dead soon.

**********

Nalia De'Arnise was exhausted from a day of hard marching first through the swamp then through the woods. Jaheira and Minsc had set a brutal pace, but she was determined to keep up without complaints. The others already believed that the hard life of adventuring did not agree with her upbringing as a soft noble, and Nalia did not want to add any more fuel to _that_ fire by whining. The others had never actually voiced any disapproval of her joining their company, of course, with the notable exception of Jaheira, who seemed to have an strong opinion about everything and wasn't afraid to express it, but Nalia could sense it in the others. Or perhaps it was her own insecurities she was sensing? Whatever the case, she would not let herself be a burden.

Having set her travel pack down, Nalia was currently attempting to unfurl her sleeping roll. It was practically brand new and had an annoying tendency to try to keep itself rolled up. As she pressed it down flat, the familiar swamp smell that still clung to her robes hit her again. Nalia sighed and mumbled something about how much scrubbing the robes would need before the fetid odor would be cleansed. On the other hand, the stench wasn't _that_ bad; it was really no worse than what could assault the olfactory senses in the Athkatlan slums, she reasoned. Still, she couldn't wait to get back to an inn at Trademeet and civilization.

Truth be told, Nalia was beginning to enjoy life as an adventurer, foul odors and life threatening situations notwithstanding. The group she was travelling with were good people, and they were becoming good friends as well. Not only had they freed her father's keep from the trolls and yuan-ti, but Irlina had agreed to be the land lord in order to prevent her father's lands, _her_ lands now, she reminded herself, from falling into the hands of the Roenalls, which reminded her…

Nalia turned to Irlina, who was re-checking the tightness of her bow string, as was her habit whenever they stopped for a rest.

"Irlina?"

Irlina glanced up briefly from her bow string and flashed a quick smile.

"Nalia?" she said playfully.

Nalia smiled and asked, "Are we planning on stopping by the keep before returning to Athkatla?"

Irlina arched an eyebrow in thought for a moment before answering. "I suppose we could. It's not too far out of the way. Why? Change your mind about marrying Isea Roenall?" she teased with a wink.

"Gods no!" Nalia exclaimed with a visible shudder, causing everyone to laugh. "It's just we've been gone for more than a tenday now, and I'm worried about what the Roenalls might be up to is all."

"I'm sure the keep is fine," Irlina soothed. "Could Isea really stir up trouble in a week?"

"Yes, he could," Nalia said. "Not only that, but he's spiteful enough to stir up trouble just to get back at me for calling off the marriage. I don't trust that slimy weasel; he makes my skin crawl."

"Coming from someone who cavorts with the unwashed masses on a regular basis, that certainly is saying something," Anomen quipped.

Nalia shot Anomen a dirty look while Irlina whirled around to face the squire. "Anomen, be nice!" Irlina scolded, unable to completely hide her amusement.

Anomen ignored them and continued cleaning the swamp muck from his shield while Irlina and Nalia continued talking about their plans for the De'Arnise lands.

**********

Jaheira suppressed a sigh as she prepared their supper over a low fire. The squire's surliness wasn't about to dampen her spirits. Much to her surprise, she noticed that she was humming as she prepared their supper over a low fire. It wasn't a tune that she recognized; she was creating it spontaneously.

The whole affair with the shadow druids had put her on edge ever since the young man, Flydian, had approached them in Athkatla and asked them to look into the mysterious animal attacks on Trademeet. A druid named Cernd, who was conducting his own investigation into the animal attacks, had accompanied them into the swamp to speak to the druids at the local grove only to find that it had been taken over by a shadow druid named Faldorn, who had initiated a war against Trademeet. Cernd had challenged Faldorn to a duel, in accordance with druid customs. During the duel, Cernd had revealed himself to be a werewolf. Even so, it had been a close run battle with Cernd prevailing and Faldorn dead. With the grove's leadership in disarray, Cernd had agreed to stay and help restore order there, acting as defacto leader.

With Nature retuning to its usual balance, Jaheira had found herself in unusually good spirits lately. Just being away from towns and cities had done much to reduce the stress and anxiety she had felt since escaping Irenicus' dungeon. In fact, she hadn't felt this happy since before Khalid…

Jaheira stopped humming as she involuntarily tensed. She glanced over to Minsc, who returned the look with the same concern as she felt. Something was amiss in the woods around them.

"What is it?" Irlina asked with a look of concern.

Jaheira stood and quickly grabbed her staff, while Minsc, having already stowed his precious hamster Boo in a mysterious location, stood abruptly and took up his great sword in a defensive posture.

"We are ambushed!" Jaheira announced.

**********

The plan had worked like clockwork. The bandits had launched their attack from one direction, drawing the front-line melee fighters and leaving Thayan alone at their enemy's rear, where the mage stood readying a spell. It was a tactic they had been perfecting for the last two years now against adventuring parties. Normally it would be suicide for a single bandit to go toe to toe against an experienced spellcaster, but Thayan was no ordinary bandit.

There was a slight complication, however: their leader stood next to the mage firing her longbow with a speed and efficiency that Thayan had never seen before. And judging by the screams of pain echoing after each loosed arrow, she was a deadly accurate shot. He would have to be fast to reach the mage before the archer could react. After that, well, he'd have to play it by ear.

Thayan saw arcane energy crackling at the fingertips of the young mage as she recited an incantation and weaved her hands in an intricate pattern. Time was up. If he didn't act now, half of his comrades would probably be dead or incapacitated by magic. He quietly unsheathed his short sword and bolted from behind the safety of the large tree trunk he was knelt behind, making a direct line for the mage. Ten steps, maybe eleven, at a full sprint would close the distance. With luck he might even reach her without being noticed.

Luck was not with Thayan, though, as the archer somehow heard his approach over the din of the fighting and the cries of the wounded. She turned to face him, and with a smooth, practiced motion, brought another arrow from the quiver and notched it to the bow string before Thayan could even count two steps. He would not reach the mage in time, he realized.

Thayan ducked low and changed his course, intending to circle to the right, putting the mage between him and the deadly longbow. The abrupt change in direction and the lowering of his profile had ruined the archer's aim, the arrow whistling past his forehead providing ample evidence of it. The curse uttered by the archer caused him to smirk; he doubted that she missed very often.

The archer's loud curse also had a surprising side effect: it ruined the mage's concentration. If nothing else, Thayan had accomplished his primary mission of distracting the mage, albeit in an unorthodox manner. As the mage's spell fizzled away, she turned to face him with an anger and frustration he had seen many times before. He knew what was probably coming next: it was a favorite spell for wizards across the face of Toril and could be cast with a single word at a single target, likely resulting in serious injury if not death for any normal person.

"_Vect!_" the mage shouted while holding out an outstretched palm towards Thayan. Five glowing darts materialized from her hand and arced through the air with speed and deadly purpose… directly at Thayan's chest. As he sprinted towards the mage, he knew that dodging the magical darts was pointless; they would never miss their intended target. He let them strike his body and felt their impacts, but it was no more painful than someone poking his chest with their forefinger. He almost laughed out loud in triumph as he watched the young mage's face transform from anger to confusion then to fear in a blink of an eye.

Two more steps…

Thayan raised his sword, ready to strike down the helpless spellcaster. He heard the knight cry out in protest from his right, but he ignored it. Nothing could stop him now.

One more…

And that's when Thayan's world turned a bright white before fading into the darkness of oblivion.


	2. A Hard Choice

**********

"That has to be, without doubt, the ugliest bandit I have ever seen," Anomen said disdainfully as he assessed the unmoving bandit that had tried to assassinate Nalia, and probably would have succeeded if not for Anomen's quick thinking. He had just dispatched his foe with a downward slash from his longsword when he had heard Irlina's curse. Expecting to see Irlina under attack, he had turned his head towards her voice, but out of the corner of his eye he had seen the masked bandit within moments of cutting Nalia down after somehow shrugging off one of her spells.

Anomen had acted on instinct, reversing his follow-through and launching the sword backwards over his shoulder. He had hoped the sword would impale the bandit in a display of such skill that it surely would have brought him much renown in the great halls of the Order of the Radiant Heart, but it was not to be. His aim was not true and his skill was lacking; the tumbling sword hilt had clipped the bandit on the right temple, knocking him unconscious.

Anomen's companions had heaped praise on him for his resourcefulness and were awed by his ability to land such a perfect knockout blow from a distance, not knowing that the result wasn't exactly what he had intended. He didn't have the courage to tell them the truth, however, and merely accepted the compliments as humbly as an aspiring knight was supposed to. He knew he should have felt a measure of pride for his accidental accomplishment, but he only felt anger at his failure.

Irlina knelt beside the unconscious bandit and lowered the mask that hid the bottom half of his weather worn face. In all of Anomen's life, he had never seen a face covered with so many scars. There were the inevitable battle scars, of course, but there were also burn scars caused by either fire or acid (or both) and other scars with undeterminable causes. Most of the scars overlapped each other and appeared to be very old. There was very little of his face that didn't bear a scar of some sort, and it made it nearly impossible to determine his age.

"This man has led a difficult life," Irlina said with a hint of sympathy.

"My lady, it does not excuse the fact that he is a thief and murderer!" Anomen shot angrily. The girl's compassion for people who did not deserve it was truly galling at times. It was no wonder that she and Nalia had become such fast friends.

Irlina stood to her full height and faced Anomen, refusing to be cowed. "I never said it did! I merely made an observation, and you twist it to imply that I'm making excuses for him?"

"Are you saying that you weren't?"

"Of course I wasn't!" Irlina exclaimed. She pointed at the unconscious man at her feet. "But look at him and tell me you think this man has had an easy life, which was the only point I was making."

Anomen glanced down briefly at the dark-haired bandit's scarred face before returning his gaze to Irlina. "It matters not what I think. He made a choice to rob and kill. Now he will face justice for his crimes. He'll get no sympathy from me."

Irlina threw up her hands in frustration. "Gods, you are impossible! I didn't _ask_ you to feel sympathy for him, now did I? And yes, maybe I do feel a little sympathy for him. So what? Don't you dare pass judgment on me for it! You are not yet a knight, Anomen!"

Anomen's righteous fury was punctured by her words as the years of frustration trying to fulfill his boyhood dream of becoming a knight of the Order came flooding back. She was right; he was no knight, no matter how badly he wanted to be one. He had no right to pass judgment on others when he himself was deemed unworthy in the eyes of the Order. The enduring shame of it deflated any argument he had left in him.

Jaheira broke the awkward silence that had fallen over the group. "What are we to do with him then?"

Irlina was lost in thought for a moment before she replied. "First, we'll bind him. Then we'll question him. Then we'll take him to Trademeet with us."

"And then we will turn him over to the authorities, yes?" Jaheira asked.

"I haven't decided yet," Irlina answered flatly, which was followed by the expected chorus of disbelief and outrage.

**********

Four hours later, Thayan awoke to find himself lying on his side with his hands tied behind is back and his feet bound with rope at the ankles. As he struggled to prop himself into a sitting position, a wave of pain and nausea rippled in his head, causing him to wince and groan. Over the crackling sounds of the fire he heard approaching footsteps. Thayan looked up at the female form standing over him, his right temple protesting in a jolt of pain at the movement.

"Awake at last, I see," the woman said. "Good. How are you feeling?"

"How do you think?!" Thayan spat angrily, causing another wave of pain and nausea.

"My name is Irlina," she said, apparently ignoring his ire. "What's yours?"

Thayan looked around at the camp to see if any of his comrades were prisoners, but only the sleeping forms of the adventurers were visible around the campfire. The ambush had failed, he realized, and he was their only prisoner. "So you killed them all?"

Irlina shook her head. "No, only six of them. The rest fled into the woods."

The thought of his comrades fleeing like frightened rabbits would have made Thayan chuckle if it wasn't for the fact that they had abandoned him while doing so. He realized she was watching him, still expecting an answer to her initial question. "Thayan," he said.

Irlina arched an eyebrow. "Is that your name or your nationality?"

"Both."

"Convenient. But that's not your real name, is it?" she asked bemusedly. He didn't answer. "Alright then, _Thayan_, how many more bandits are out there?"

"A thousand," he said with a straight face.

"Where's your base camp?"

"What base camp?"

"Look, Thayan, if you don't cooperate, I'll have no choice but to turn you over to the Trademeet militia. Give me some answers that I can pass on to them and I might be persuaded to keep you with us."

Thayan looked into Irlina's brown eyes. Living among thieves and liars for most of his life had trained him to spot the telltale signs of deceit in a person's body language, and even in the flickering fire light he could tell she was being sincere. She had obviously recognized his unique 'gift' and was offering him a chance at life in order to take advantage of it, exactly like Antonio had done two summers ago. But what kind of life was she offering? The life of an adventurer? A life on the road facing dangerous monsters and exploring old catacombs and ruins? Who knows what terrors they could face in those dank, dark tunnels…twisting endlessly downward…into the pit of the utter blackness...the passages narrowing…trapping…_suffocating_…

Thayan fought the surging wave of panic threatening to overwhelm him. He shook his head vehemently, despite the pain it caused. No, it wasn't possible. He'd rather die than endure that. It wasn't much of a choice at all.

"I'll take my chances with the militia," he said coldly.

Irlina was shocked by the answer. "But why? You know they'll execute you, right?"

Thayan simply nodded.

"And you know they'll probably interrogate you with a lot more…_vigor_ than I am, right?" she hinted.

Thayan smiled without a trace of humor. "You offer me a choice between certainty and uncertainty. I choose certainty."

Irlina shrugged. "Fine, suit yourself. It's probably no less than you deserve."

Thayan had no doubts about that. In a way, he was relieved that it would finally be over, especially the sleepless nights. He would truly be free. It was comforting in a way.

The rest of the evening passed with barely a word exchanged between them as Irlina continued her watch. She offered him some food, but he refused. Only after she informed him that he had better keep his strength up for the long journey to Trademeet because he would be shouldering their heaviest pack did he finally agree to eat despite the lingering nausea from his head wound.

Thayan fell asleep shortly after midnight and drifted into the familiar embrace of the nightmares.

**********

A splash of cold water startled the bandit from his restless slumber.

"Rise and shine, scum," said Anomen with a self-satisfied smirk while holding an empty cup that had held water from a nearby brook but moments before.

Nalia, who was still in the process of packing her gear, shook her head and said, "Do you have to be so mean to him, Anomen? _I'm_ the one he tried to kill, but you don't see me behaving like a lout, do you?"

"My lady, one day you will learn that not everyone is deserving of respect, least of all a bandit," Anomen stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes, yes, I know. No need to get into _that_ again," said Nalia, rolling her eyes.

An hour later, the party was on the move again. Minsc led the way as usual, scouting well ahead of the group. Jaheira stayed at the head of the main group, as was her preference, followed by Nalia and Irlina. Their prisoner, whose wrists were still tied together, followed the two women. They had looped the straps from Anomen's heavy pack under Thayan's arms and over his shoulders so he couldn't throw off the pack and attempt to escape. If he tried to run away with the pack, the weight would ensure that he didn't get far before collapsing from exhaustion. Anomen brought up the rear of the group in order to keep a watchful eye on the bandit.

Irlina glanced back at Thayan. He was managing all right with the heavy pack, but the day was shaping up to be a warm one, and they were nearing the edge of the forest and the welcome shade would soon disappear. Most of the day's march would likely be under a cloudless sky over rolling hills. Still, she doubted he would slow them down much. Indeed, he seemed _eager_ to face his fate in Trademeet.

It didn't make any sense to her. Thayan had chosen the certainty of death over the uncertainty of life with an adventuring party. What was it about the adventuring life that could instill such fear in a man? And it was definitely fear; she had seen it in his dark eyes for a brief moment as he contemplated her offer. Maybe he was a coward? No, his many battle scars attested to his bravery in combat. That wasn't it. What did adventuring parties do that bandits did not? Help people for one thing, she chuckled to herself. The thought that he would rather die than help people was laughable, though. Nobody was _that_ evil.

One thing was certain: the bandit had a way of defeating magic that no one else in her company possessed; he would be an invaluable asset against an archmage like Irenicus. Even if they managed to avoid a confrontation with Irenicus, they would undoubtedly face other powerful spellcasters, maybe even the Cowled Wizards themselves, in their quest to free Imoen, so Thayan would still be extremely useful. She played with the idea of forcing him to join them before immediately rejecting the notion; no, that went against everything she stood for.

The only trick she had left was to appeal to his bandit nature. Irlina slowed her pace until Thayan had caught up to her, then adjusted her pace to match his.

"So, have you reconsidered my offer, by chance?" she asked.

"No," Thayan replied.

"I give everyone in my company a weekly stipend," she offered. "Plus, we evenly split what we make from selling the stuff we find. You could easily earn ten times what you did by robbing people."

Thayan looked at Irlina, studying her for any sign of deception. She returned his stare without flinching. "You're exaggerating," he said.

"Am I?" She gestured to her comrades. "Take a look around. Do you see anyone here that's wanting for anything?"

Thayan appraised Irlina's equipment. Her longbow, though not ornately decorated, was of the finest craftsmanship, he conceded. Her enchanted armor alone was probably worth a small fortune. In fact, everyone in the party wielded weapons and armor that most armies would envy. They certainly weren't destitute; it was why Antonio was so keen on ambushing them in the first place. In contrast, Thayan stood out like a sore thumb with his worn blue tunic and tattered gray trousers. He had thought that his clothes were better than the average bandit's, but walking amongst these people, he suddenly felt very poor.

"Well?" Irlina asked. "What do you say?"

She could see he was extremely tempted, but something was keeping him from jumping at the opportunity. Whatever was causing his fear of adventuring, it was powerful.

"Have you ventured into many, ah, dungeons?" he asked tentatively.

Irlina laughed. "Yes, that's where all the monsters live…with their treasures."

"I see," he said. After a few moments of consideration, Thayan finally shook his head and said, "I'm going to have to say no. Just hand me over to the militia."

Was it the dungeons he was afraid of or the monsters within? Irlina wouldn't begrudge him if it was either. Dungeons were the scariest places on Toril, after all. Only the brave or the foolish dared to explore dungeons, and she was convinced that she was equal parts of both.

Monster could be found just about anywhere, though, and he had asked specifically about dungeons. She decided to try a hunch. "You know," she began, "I've seen the cells in Trademeet."

"Really?" he asked, but his tone was of disinterest.

"Yes. Cernd was being held there when we arrived. He's a druid who was sent here to investigate the animal attacks that were going on. The good townsfolk of Trademeet thought he was causing the attacks, so they tried to lynch him. Fortunately for Cernd, the High Merchant had him arrested before anything drastic could happen. After questioning him, they realized that he was innocent."

Thayan made no indication that he either was interested in the story or was even listening to it, but she continued anyway.

"But they were worried what the mob would do if they released him, so he stayed in the cells for his own protection. That's when we showed up. The High Merchant asked us to escort him to the local druid grove, and we did. Turns out, the grove's leader was the one causing all the problems, but Cernd killed him in a duel and stayed behind to make sure everything got back to normal."

"Fascinating," Thayan said sarcastically.

Irlina pretended that she didn't notice the sarcasm. Now it was time for the hook. "Yes, I'm sure Cernd's a lot happier now being out of that tiny cell. He seemed really agitated when we first met him there. It was barely big enough for a bed and not having a window must have been torture for a druid, the poor thing."

She had noticed how Thayan had tensed slightly as she described the cell. So that was it.

"Well, I have to talk to Jaheira about something. Let me know if you need anything," she said cheerfully before jogging ahead to where the half-elf druid was walking, leaving the bandit with quite a lot to think about.


	3. Out Of The Shadow

**Author's Note:** This chapter has been revised so many times that I'm not sure that I even recognize it from the original draft anymore. Old paragraphs and new paragraphs have been cobbled together into something that I'm finally somewhat happy enough with to be published. If the narrative seems to lack flow and cohesiveness, you now know the reason why.

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**********

The day had indeed been a warm one, but the five adventurers and one prisoner had made good progress. The heavy pack that Thayan had been forced to carry had nearly caused him to faint a couple of times under the relentless sun, but he was determined to not show any signs weakness, especially in front of that arrogant squire Anomen. The two men had exchanged glares but had hardly uttered a word to each other since the rude wake up that morning. The others were little better; only Irlina had shown him a modicum of friendliness, but Thayan knew that it was only a ruse to entice him to join her group.

Minsc, the large Rashemi ranger, had become hostile when he had learned during the midday meal that 'Thayan' was not just a name, but also indicated his place of birth. Apparently, the connection was not as obvious as Thayan had assumed, or perhaps the ranger wasn't very bright. Upon saying as much out loud, Minsc had flown into a rage, lifting Thayan, who was still carrying the sixty pound pack, off the ground with one hand and threatening to skewer the 'evil Thayan' with the sword he wielded in the other hand. Amusingly, the ranger had also threatened that Thayan's eyes would be gouged out by Boo, his pet hamster. Thankfully, Irlina had settled the Rashemi down before any blood could be spilled or any eyeballs could be gouged. Minsc's role as party scout had kept the two at a safe distance for most of the trip, something for which Thayan was extremely grateful.

The nations of Rashemen and Thay had been bitter enemies for centuries, and that conflict was alive and well even beyond those borders. Thayan had never actually met a Rashemi before, but if the warriors of Rashemen were as nearly as fearsome as Minsc, then Thayan could understand why his birth nation had failed to conquer Rashemen.

As dusk approached and the town grew larger in the distance, Thayan began to think about the problem of his immediate fate. Somehow Irlina had learned of his problem with small spaces and was using it to her advantage, but that didn't mean that she was lying about the size of those cells. Although being locked in a tiny cell was a petrifying thought, what really worried him was the execution that was sure to follow.

Despite the fact that it would release him from the curse of his wretched life, deep down, he really did not want to die. His life on the run, fighting, struggling, and surviving should not end so ignominiously with a noose around his neck. And what about the goal he had set for himself as a youth on the streets of Riatavin, the goal of leaving Faerûn on ship for Maztica? When had that dream disappeared? Perhaps as an adventurer, he could finally earn enough gold to pay for such a passage. Then he could start a new life as far from the shadow of Thay as he could possibly get – on the opposite side of the world. Wasn't that why he had left Riatavin in the first place? It was an opportunity that couldn't be passed up, even if it meant having to face one of his worst fears.

The decision was made.

**********

Trademeet was celebrating tonight. The problems with the druids and the animals were solved and it was business as usual for the merchants and caravans. High Merchant Logan Corprith had greeted Irlina's group with a hero's welcome earlier that evening. Vyatri's Pub was the epicenter of the ensuing celebrations, and it was literally stuffed with people wishing to meet the 'Heroes of Trademeet' to give their praise and thanks.

Minsc and Anomen were drawing the largest crowds that evening. Minsc was eager to tell (and retell) the story of the group's encounter with a troll mound in the swamp and the endless waves of trolls that had tried to kill and eat them. Anomen, meanwhile, had cast aside the façade of the humble squire as he recounted his personal exploits against the shadow druids that had harassed them en route to the druid grove to anyone who would listen and appreciate his prowess.

Irlina and Nalia were seated at a table with the High Merchant and the captain of the militia, Lorana Carrick. Irlina had handed a small piece of parchment to the militia captain, who was studying it carefully. On the parchment were directions to a bandit camp in the Forest of Tethir along with a crudely drawn map.

The captain looked at Irlina after a short time and asked with barely disguised skepticism, "You believe that this source of yours is telling the truth?"

Irlina nodded and said with conviction, "I do."

Logan Corprith clapped his hands together and grinned. "Well, then, if Lady Irlina says it's accurate then I have no reason to believe otherwise."

Captain Carrick wasn't nearly as convinced, however. "But, my lord-"

"Captain," Logan interrupted,"tomorrow morning you will take a patrol to investigate this camp. It will probably be abandoned by the time you get there, as Lady Irlina suggested, but they may have left some clues as to their destination. If the druids have indeed resumed being the 'friendly' druids that we've always known, then you might be able to enlist their aid in tracking them down."

Captain Carrick bowed her head slightly and said, "Yes, my lord. I will begin making the preparations at once." The captain stood and politely excused herself before striding purposefully through the crowd and out of the tavern.

Logan watched the tavern door close behind the militia captain before returning his attention to the two women seated at his table. "Please excuse Lorana's cynicism," he said apologetically. "It's her job to be suspicious."

"Oh, that's alright," Irlina said dismissively. "It's quite understandable."

"The source of your information is the scarred man that came with you, isn't it?" Logan asked.

Irlina flinched in surprise at the directness of the question, and she exchanged a look with Nalia. She considered lying outright but thought better of it; the High Merchant was clearly a very astute man, and she didn't want to abuse the good will they had earned by being caught in a lie.

"Yes," she replied hesitantly.

Logan narrowed his eyes at her. "He's a bandit, is he not?"

Irlina blinked in surprise. "How did you know?"

Logan smiled. "Let's just say that he fits a description."

"Yes, I'm sure he does. But he's not a bandit anymore."

Logan craned his neck to find the ex-bandit seated with Jaheira at a table in the corner. "He's a criminal, a murderer," he said, trying to remind her of the fact. "I should have him arrested."

"Please don't!" Irlina begged. "I promised him that I would not turn him over if he gave us information on the other bandits. Please don't make me break that promise."

Logan returned his gaze to the woman and saw the pleading in her eyes. He asked with genuine curiosity, "Why are you protecting him?"

"Because I think he can help me rescue my friend. He has certain…talents that I need," Irlina explained vaguely, hoping the High Merchant would not inquire into the exact nature of his talents.

"I see," Logan said thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin with his hand. Finally, he turned to woman seated next to Irlina and asked, "And what about you, Lady Nalia? I would hear your opinion on this matter."

Nalia looked down, unable to meet the High Merchant's gaze. "I…um…" she floundered.

Like Irlina, she didn't want to lie, but she definitely didn't want to tell the truth: she feared Thayan like she had never feared anyone in her life. Just knowing that he was practically immune to her magic was unsettling enough, but the fact that he had come so close to killing her the previous day and could probably kill her any time he wanted was making her anxious. Personally, she wouldn't have minded if Thayan was arrested, if only to gain some peace of mind. She couldn't reveal these feelings without betraying Irlina, however, and that was something that she would never do.

"I trust Irlina's judgment," she finally said. When she looked up, Nalia found the High Merchant carefully considering her words, while Irlina was smiling at her with deep appreciation. Nalia returned the smile.

After coming to a decision, Logan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I am only allowing this because of what you've done for the people of this town," he said. "Very well, I will let him stay with your company on two conditions: one, as long as he is within the walls of Trademeet, he will be escorted by one of your people at all times. I will not have a bandit running loose in my town unguarded."

"Agreed," Irlina said.

"Two, in exchange for my pardon, our debt to you will be considered paid in full."

"Yes, of course."

"Well then, it appears our business here is concluded. But consider this: if he should spill any innocent blood in the future, it will be on your hands," Logan warned.

Irlina nodded slowly and frowned. "I know."


End file.
